


Bedtime Stories

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: 1001 Nights, Comfort Reading, F/M, Reader-Insert, Reading, Reading Aloud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 14:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10788762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	Bedtime Stories

Toss.

Turn.

Toss.

Turn.

“Can’t sleep, can you?” Spencer laughed after about a half hour of losing your mind. He had work in the morning, and you felt awful, but you couldn’t get your brain to turn off, which meant incessant tossing and turning, kicking your legs and the inability to get comfortable - at all. It felt like your skin was crawling. Insomnia was a bitch and a half.

You pushed up out of the bed and pulled one of the blankets around you. “I’m so sorry, babe,” you said, leaning over and giving him a kiss. “I’ll just go sleep on the couch. I don’t wanna keep you up any longer.”

Gently, he pulled you back toward him by the wrist. “Wait for me,” he said sleepily. He lumbered out of bed, took your hand in his and walked over the bookshelf at the far end of the apartment. “I’ll read to you.” As he pulled you into his lap, he smiled. “That always helps.”

“Have I said I love you today?” you asked. “Because I love you. Are you sure though? You have work in the morning.”

Spencer shrugged, placing your head in the crook of his neck. “As a child prodigy, you get used to an overactive brain, never being able to sleep, and functioning on very little, so I’m good.” He flipped through the pages and you inhaled sharply - the scent of musty books was one of your favorite things. It reminded you of when you were a kid reading in your grandparents’ attic. The light would stream through the tiny window, giving the small space just enough light for you to read, but not enough room for anyone else - it was your alone time, even as a kid. Occasionally, you stilled liked to read alone, but having Spencer read to you was one of your favorite things in the entire world. “Which story should we start tonight?” he asked, placing his hand on the top of your head and gently combing his fingers through it. 

“Why don’t we just continue to go in order,” you said. “We’re on Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, right?” 

“Yup.” He landed on the page you needed and you stared in awe at the intricate designs on the first page of the story. Blue arches, gold leaves, even the border painted a picture. In an instant, you were at ease as Spencer started to read.

“In days of yore and in times and tides long gone before there dwelt in a certain town of Persia two brothers, one named Kasim and the other Ali Baba, who at their father’s demise had divided the little wealth he had left to them with equitable division, and had lost no time in wasting and spending it all…” 

Spencer’s voice had the unique ability to change depending on what he was reading. If you ever had kids, he would be great at changing his for the character he was reading. Sometimes he was animated, other times he would speak quietly. If the story required it, his voice would boom, and still others, like now, he sounded proud, as if he knew something others didn’t. For anyone who wasn’t familiar with the story, they’d underestimate the character of Morgiana - a slave woman who played the stark opposite role of most women in The Arabian Nights. You knew her role though. That’s why it was one of your favorite stories; she defied all expectations and proved that the “invisible” were not to be underestimated. 

Your boyfriend could read fast. Really fast. But when he read, he read fairly slowly, enough so that anyone listening could enjoy the story. Without interrupting his flow, you situated yourself more comfortably in his lap and rested your head against his chest once more. 

“Morgiana, having spread wide a white cloth upon the table and served up the meal, went back to the kitchen and thought out her plot against the robber Captain…”

While all of the main characters were utter fools, too consumed by thoughts of gold and the magical cave where it was concealed, Morgiana was clever, calm in the face of danger, and loyal. The story was relatively short, and in about 40 minutes, it was coming to a close.

“As the morning morrowed, Scheherazade held her peace until the next day….How’re you doing now?” he asked. putting the book down and wrapping his arms around you. “Feeling a little more relaxed?”

A nod of your head was all he needed.”Good, I’m glad. Wanna cuddle in bed until we fall asleep?”

“Yessssss,” you said sleepily. Your muscles felt heavy as Spencer pushed you gently forward, attempting to move you from your comfortable position. “I could stay here forever.” You really could - he was so soft and cuddly. After he pushed you upward, he wriggled out from under you. Just as you were about to put pressure on your feet and actually move, he scooped you up bridal style and carried you back to your bedroom. “What did I do to deserve such an amazing boyfriend?”

He chuckled against your forehead as he laid you down in bed and pulled the covers back over you. “You’re you,” he said softly. Within seconds, he’d crawled up behind you and placed a kiss on your hairline. “We should read together more often. I like reading to you.”

You definitely needed to. “And I love it when you read to me. We should make a tradition out of reading before we go to bed, because your voice is amazing to fall asleep to.”

Spencer pulled you toward him and your breathing started to sync with his. “For you,” he said, “anything.”


End file.
